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The Future of Genetics

Julio Adrian Rodriguez

College Writing R1A: Accelerated Reading and Composition

November 16, 2017


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Science Fiction has planted the idea that the world of tomorrow will incorporate

interstellar travel, flying cars, and humanoid robots. As science continues to evolve, ideas and

concepts that seemed to be science fiction are becoming science fact. Nature had often been seen

as the great master of life and death, responsible for bringing life and disposing of it. Today,

science has the potential to manipulate nature. Scientists can play god, manipulating the design

set by nature.

Genetic engineering is the process of modifying the DNA codes associated with living

organisms. This process is most commonly seen in food. A large fraction of crops in the United

States are genetically modified in order to make them more resistant to weather and less

vulnerable to infection. Genetically modified foods may be the product of a crime against nature,

but the majority of the world continues to eat food regardless of how it is created.

Similar to the benefits of genetically modifying foods, the genetic modification in

humans can make the world a better place. A world in which scientists can manipulate the

genetics of humans will be a world free of genetic disorders. People would no longer be born

with genetic mutations and life-threatening diseases, everyone would be healthy, and the human

race would be capable of evolving without nature. Science has the potential of making this

utopian fantasy become a reality, but just because we can manipulate nature does not mean that

we should. The potential dangers and ethical dilemmas that may arise as a result of changing the

work of nature heavily outweigh the benefits.

The ability to free the human race from fatal diseases and disorders is something that

people will fight for. Though our intention may truly be to save lives and make the world a better

place, good intentions are often corrupted by self-fulfilling and selfish ideologies. Given that

there is even a remote possibility that this scientific innovation may be corrupted, it is not worth
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bringing to the world. It may seem wrong to not help those who can be helped but in order to

prevent humans from abusing this power, it is worth the sacrifice. Nevertheless, many will not

stand to live knowing that genetic disorders could be eliminated, and thus the practice will be

conducted regardless of whether it is permitted.

Great power has the potential to inflict greatness in the world, but humans have a history

of misusing power. For example, the idea of racial supremacy is responsible for some of the

darkest times. This ideology justified slavery in America and fueled the Holocaust. Slavery was

justified in America because people of European descent saw themselves superior to those of

African descent. During the Holocaust, the Nazis claimed to be genetically superior due to their

physical traits. The Nazis wanted to free the world of inferior beings and as a result, killed

millions of people on account of their race. Genetic engineering could resurrect a movement

similar to that of the Nazis and empower the idea of racial supremacy. The genetic modification

of human beings may be intended to eliminate disease and mutations from the world, but some

might see this scientific innovation as a way to produce a race of genetically superior beings.

The practice of genetic engineering in humans is bound to give rise to chaos. In order to

shield the public from these consequences, the government may outlaw the practice. Outlawing

the genetic modification in humans may seem like a logical solution but it will only make things

worse. In The Pros and Cons of Genetically Engineering Your Children, Rathi acknowledges

that Banning human-germlined editing could put a damper on the best medical research and

instead drive the practice underground to black markets and uncontrolled medical tourism, which

are fraught with much greater risk and misapplication. 1 People will go to extreme measures to

1Akshat Rathi, The Pros and Cons of Genetically Engineering Your Children. Quartz
Quartz Media LLC , 3 Dec. 2015, Qz.com/564649/the-pros-and-cons-of-genetically-engineering-
your-children/.
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get what they want. A parallel dilemma relevant today is the war on drugs. In an attempt to

protect the public from the possible dangers of drug consumption, narcotics are outlawed.

Outlawing narcotics has only led to black market dealing. In regards to genetic modification in

humans, those who really want it will find a way to get it. Its a case of supply and demand; as

long as people are willing to pay, there will be people to make it available.

The modification of human genetics may seem far from becoming a reality but it has

been practiced and executed successfully. Rathi states Chinese researchers announced that they

had conducted experiments to remove genes of an inheritable disease in human embryos.2 Such

experiments can potentially cure the world of genetic disorders and therefore will be practiced

regardless of whether it is ethically sound or legal. In this particular case, the Chinese researchers

successfully modified the genetics of a human embryo to remove a disease but this may not

always be the case.

This innovation has the potential to predict and manipulate the traits and characteristics

of human offspring. Parents will design their offspring, directly influencing their fate. Parents

will know what type of child they will have before its born and know the type of person it will

grow up to be without having to see it grow. Every individual should be in control of their own

destiny. Parents should not be able to choose the life they believe is best for their children.

Parents are simply responsible for teaching their children about life and directing them towards

success. To preserve freewill of all individuals, parents should not be in control of the type of

children they will have; they should only influence their decisions and ideals. In The Ethics Of

Designer Babies by Tia Ghose, she analyses the genetic modification of human beings on an

2 Ibid
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ethical level. Ghose references Thomas H. Murray, an ethicist, who argues that the American

society has not properly processed the ethical ramifications of genetically modifying humans.

Murray states, One of my concerns is if we let parents think they are actually choosing and

controlling [their childs outcome], then we set up all that dynamic of potentially tyrannical

expectations over what the child will do or be.3 By having an idea of how their children should

turn out, parents are likely to treat their children a particular way. Parents will expect their

children to live up to certain expectation based on the notes on a doctor's clipboard. Ghose brings

up a possible dilemma that may arise if the genetic engineering in humans led to cloning in

humans. Ghose references a comment made by Murray: You could clone Michael Jordan, but

Michael Two might want to be an accountant. 4 We might expect someone with the potential to

become one of the best basketball players of all time to fulfill their destiny, but every individual

should have the right to choose what they want to do with their life. It would be unfair if the fate

of an individual was predetermined by their genetic code.

Science will continue to evolve, and genetic engineering in humans will be seen as

something ordinary. It may be the solution to genetic disorders but this power is too much for

humans. This sort of power in the hands of humans will be misused and abused. Genetic

engineering may bring rise to another reign of racial supremacy, increase illegal market activity,

and deprive individuals of their freewill. The world is better off without the genetic modification

of human beingsyet were probably going to see it soon.

3 Tia Ghose, The Ethics Of Designer Babies. The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com,
13 Mar. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/14/ethics-of-designer-babies_n_4966189.html.

4 Ibid
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Bibliography

Ghose, Tia. "The Ethics Of 'Designer Babies'." HuffingtonPost.com. March 13, 2014.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/14/ethics-of-designer-babies_n_4966189.html .

Rathi, Akshat. "The Pros and Cons of Genetically Engineering Your Children." Quartz Media

LLC. December 03, 2015. https://qz.com/564649/the-pros-and-cons-of-genetically-engineering-

your-children/ .

Ball, Philip. "Designer Babies: An Ethical Horror Waiting to Happen?" TheGuardian.com.

January 08, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/08/designer-babies-ethical-

horror-waiting-to-happen .

Page, Michael Le. "The Ethics Issue: Should We Edit Our Childrens Genomes?"

NewScientist.com. July 5, 2017. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23531330-700-the-

ethics-issue-should-we-edit-our-childrens-genomes/ .

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